Watch Your Step In Williamsburg

In Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia......

walking is the primary mode of transportation.

Occasionally, a messenger might come charging down the street......

or a military officer  might ride by on a mighty steed.

Docile yoked oxen can be found resting in the shade before returning to their work in the fields.

Horse drawn vehicles are everywhere.

Functional and fast......

Fanciful  and flowing....

.

First-class and formal....

In the evenings the horses retire to a serene green pasture..

surrounded by a split rail hand-notched fence.

And I wonder how, in those lovely long dresses,

did the ladies  tip-toe through  all the piles of horse poop scattered all over the road ?

Happy wondering....let's have a cup of tea and be grateful for this wonderful day !

Happy Infusions,

Kate

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Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington

The Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Washington suggested we visit the Museum of Glass.

We had been invited to a glass blowing session at our resident glass blower in Surprise Valley. That experience was fascinating and as a homeschooling project it was incredible.

The working artist at the Museum of Glass work in pairs....on delicate, transparent compositions.

Shaping and sculpting.....

then into the fire......

and out again for more shaping and sculpting......

The works of art produced are delightful and whimsical....

and quite stunning !

Happy Infusions,

Kate

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I never quit trying...

Our daughter and son in law have the two most well behaved playful pups !

Emma is a chocolate lab and Gracie is a Chihuahua/Schnauzer mix. Gracie's motto is "I never quit trying". Now that could refer to begging for one more morsel dropped from the table, or looking for her favorite orange ear plugs, or it could mean trying to steal the toy that Emma just caught !

Emma and Gracie eagerly await the toss of the toy.

Emma is incredibly agile and leaps to catch the toy !

Gracie immediately rushes in for the interception........

......determined to steal it away !

Emma is victorious, but look at Gracie...she isn't giving up, she's still trying to get that toy !

Gracie and Arnold Palmer have a lot in common ! He once said, " I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win."

What a great motto ! May we always keep trying !

Happy Infusions,

Kate

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Thank God It Was A Recording

After the dump run and a few more clean up chores at the ranch, I decided to hook up my Wild Blue internet and connect with the more populous parts of the world ! Wild Blue is especially helpful to us who live in the most remote areas on God's Great Earth ! (Birds really like Wild Blue too). We always unplug the internet when we leave. We know from experience that an unexpected storm and power outage might occur and wreck havoc with all kinds of systems ! This has been firmly established in our minds after we lost 2 freezers full of beef !! I plugged in the internet device. However, my computer kept saying " perhaps you are out of range". Well, that made me hoppin' mad ! It isn't cheap to have high speed internet service in the boondocks and I sure expected it to work ! I called the tech support number, which of course, re-routed me to another number and then it wasn't even a "living" human being, but a recording asking me to go through a few simple steps. While listening, and remembering not to respond to the recording, I performed the required tasks. Like a robot I unplugged and plugged in the device again. And, still holding the phone to my ear, I saw there was another cord lying there. The recording continued to give directions, which I only half heard. I plugged in the second cord and low and behold, my device started showing the tell tale yellow light that says we have a wireless connection ! Thank God I had been talking to a recording and not a real person ! Obviously, I should have had a cup of tea first....but, you know, any time is a good time for tea ! Happy Infusions, Kate

The Mortgage Apple Cake...and tea !

My Sweet Husband and I saw Angela Logan on Fox News talking about making apple cakes and selling them to make her mortgage payment.

http://www.bakemeawish.com/blog/?p=292

Very creative! Very entrepreneurial !!

We decided to participate. And we love apple cakes !

(My mother-in-law gave me a great recipe a very long time ago)

We ordered a cake.

I guess everyone else ordered one too, because it took quite awhile for our order to even process.

At last, one day on the porch.....the package .....

I'm crazy about "wrappings and bows and designs and all kinds of packaging"....Kimberly Nicole in Redding always makes your purchase special with her cute bags & tissue !)

First the lovely ice pack..(can an ice pack be lovely? I just think it's so sweet how the website name is on everything . Even the ice pack ! What a great idea !)

The cover covering the inside box....(the ice pack was on top of this)

The top of the box........( we are starting to get somewhere now....)

The box itself.........(have to take time to admire the beautiful box)

A description of some of the other gourmet cakes offered by Bake Me A Wish......(this could be important if we want to order any other cakes ...)

A sweet Thank You card....................(I appreciate a thank you now and then)

And finally the delicious, moist Mortgage Apple Cake !

I had a cup of Rajah Darjeeling tea with my slice of cake..but any number of wonderful Assam or Nilgiri teas would have been perfect !

My mother-in-law's apple cake is not quite as dense as the Mortgage Apple Cake, but every bit as delicious...it is one of our family's favorite cakes ! This cake is divine with all kinds of tea !

Grandma Dolores' Beloved Apple Cake

4 cups diced apples

2 cups sugar ( white or brown...sometimes I use a combination)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs beaten

1-2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (optional---can use 2 cups if desired or even a few raisins...)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" pan.

Mix apples and sugar together and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and spices then stir into apples.

Stir the oil, eggs and vanilla together, then blend into apple mixture.

Pour into pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes.

This cake is good without a frosting...but a cream cheese frosting is delightful on this cake !

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound of powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients until smooth and creamy.....spread on cake after it has cooled.

Happy Infusions !

Kate

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